Raymond Gene Hornbeak

Raymond Gene Hornbeak of Syracuse died on November 14, 2017 at the age of 77. Born on April 24, 1940 and raised among Greek-American manners that never needed a speech. Early on, he decided that a paycheck and a handshake should weigh the same. He tended hoppers that shook the plant into a rhythm. An ash hopper poke bar wrapped preferred work over speeches. Colleagues still mention an ash hopper poke bar wrapped. In 1966 he married Betty. The marriage was not a speech; it was groceries, repairs, and two daughters walked to school in weather that did not care. When Betty died in 2010, he kept what still worked: the early walk, the small garden, the call on Sundays. Neighbors remember a jumper cable offered before the tow truck was dialed. He liked early mornings before the heat or the noise. He died in Syracuse, among streets he never needed to explain. The calendar still has a circle on payday.